


What Happens in Vegas

by imademon



Category: Mozart in the Jungle (TV)
Genre: Comedy, Gen, Las Vegas Wedding, Multi, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, drunk wedding, romantic relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 19:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13596663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imademon/pseuds/imademon
Summary: During a part work, part fun trip to Las Vegas, Rodrigo and Thomas wake up to find they had accidentally gotten drunkenly married the night before.The story is just for laughs, with occasional reflection on how Rodrigo views love and relationships, both platonic and romantic.





	What Happens in Vegas

Rodrigo woke up on the floor of a Las Vegas hotel room. He had no idea what hotel, and it was irrelevant. The more pressing concern was Thomas, his upper half on the bed with his legs dangling off, snoring above him. No, he thought, it wasn’t Thomas that was a concern. That wasn’t unusual; it was actually comforting to see him. It was the floral arrangement on the bedside table with a note, appearing as hastily written as the apparent events of the night before. It read, “Congratulations on your marriage!”

Rodrigo shook his head, trying to remember anything from last night. He heard echoes of a thumping loud party bass, then something he recognized as The Wedding March, then cheap bells and drunken laughter from Thomas that could’ve been part of a tune.

“Ay, no…” Rodrigo pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead, setting the flowers down and looking over at Thomas. He grabbed Thomas’s leg and shook it.

“Maestro...Maestro, despiértate por favor.” He said, finally rousing Thomas.

“What? Where am I!” Thomas shouted, jolting upright and startling Rodrigo, who jumped back several inches, “Oh, hermano! Must have been some kind of night we had, huh?” He chuckled, squinting for a moment as he adjusted to being awake and hung over. “Well. I’ve felt worse!”

Rodrigo let out a breathy laugh, scratching his head as he tried to figure out how to break the news of their drunken nuptials. 

“Do you remember anything from last night, Maestro?” Rodrigo asked.

“Well I… no, not really.” He said.

“Do you remember the wedding march on a poorly tuned piano, by any chance? Or this?” He handed Thomas the congratulatory card.

“Oh my god. Not again!” He groaned, dramatically tossing the card behind him. 

“Again?” Rodrigo cried, throwing his hands out in front of him as if trying to one up Thomas’s reaction, “How many times has this happened?” he gasped, “am I just one of a long line of drunkenly wedded friends?” 

Thomas stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if his gasp was one of genuine hurt.

“It’s only happened once before! When I was 19. A mess! We had it annulled 3 weeks later. Surprised we waited that long. I never even told Claire.” he said, “I suppose we’ll have to go right out and get this one annulled too.” He groaned as he pushed himself up off the bed to get properly dressed for the day.

“¿Pero, por qué?” Rodrigo replied, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows.

“Por qúe...why? Why? Well my god, everyone back in New York would have a field day about this wouldn’t they! Best to nip it in the bud. Besides, you’re my hermano! Not my...oh, how do you say husband in Spanish?” Thomas chuckled.

“Esposo. And you do have a point about New York. Ay...Gloria...ay no.” He paused for a moment, his hand on his cheek contemplating the fit she would have, “But just because I don’t love you romantically doesn’t mean our love for each other isn’t valid! No! I reject that! In fact, I’m not going to sign the annulment. You hear me? I refuse!” Rodrigo threw his hand in the air, more dramatics.

“All right, all right. Calm down, hermano. Or should I say, esposo.” Thomas chuckled before shaking his head at his own joke, “I’ve known you long enough and suffered through enough of your mad ideas to know I can’t change your mind. Might as well ride it out ‘til we get home and Gloria forces you to sign the papers. That might actually be fun to watch.” He chuckled again.

“What’s the harm in it, anyway? We’re friends, we care about each other, no? We love each other! Sure it’s not the way you felt about Claire or the way I feel about...oh, well the way I felt about Ana María! But music is about expanding boundaries! And I go where the music takes me!” Rodrigo exclaimed. 

“And the alcohol.” Thomas muttered, smirking.

“Sometimes, yes” Rodrigo replied and smiled back, breaking into a laugh as he covered his face with his palms. He was still somewhat in disbelief over what had happened the night before. But he truly was not concerned. They’d remedy the situation when they got home. For now, what did it hurt?

Rodrigo and Thomas spent the rest of the daylight hours sightseeing, splitting the day with a late lunch outside a restaurant and a 3 hour nap. Unlike the night before, Rodrigo slept in the room’s only bed next to Thomas, not looking like the married pair they legally were but instead the good friends they were. They slept deeply, Rodrigo only being stirred twice by Thomas’s kicks. By sunset they were keeping themselves busy, having already made sure everything was packed for the redeye flight back to New York. 

As they made their way down the aisle of the plane, a middle aged woman smiled and clapped lightly when she overheard Thomas joking to Rodrigo, “this will be our first flight as a married couple!” Rodrigo noticed the woman and nodded and smiled in reply, absolutely uninterested in explaining their bizarre situation.

They settled into their seats; Rodrigo had the window seat and Thomas had the middle, which Rodrigo found ideal for watching them part from land and rise up into the clouds. He and Thomas both put headphones on to pass the time, and once light turbulence had subsided they both began to doze. Within an hour Thomas was drooling onto his shirt and Rodrigo’s head rested on Thomas’s shoulder. 

They flew straight through to New York, only waking once the plane began its descent. Thomas woke with a start, as if from a nightmare. 

“Dear God, Rodrigo! What are we doing?” He said in a poor attempt at a whisper. 

Rodrigo’s head lolled to a resting position with his chin against his chest for a few seconds before looking up groggily.

“Hm? Oh Maestro, don’t worry. It’s not like we have to stay together until death do us part! That’s just a saying, you know?” He placed his hand against Thomas’s chest a moment to reassure him. “And before we get off this plane I want you to know, I’m very happy I got to be married to you for a day or two. I actually think more friends should do this, you know? To really think about their friendships and appreciate them more! It’s like a...a... you know? A duet doesn’t have to be with lovers, right? It can be different kinds of partners. Like friends!” He nodded as he lifted his hand to Thomas’s chest once again, this time patting it fondly, smiling.

Thomas nodded and continued to do so for several minutes as if trying to convince himself he wasn’t losing his mind. They gathered their carry-ons and made their way from the plane to the baggage claim. Within moments of reaching the baggage claim Rodrigo broke into a wild grin.

“Hailey!” He cried out, dropping his carry on and spreading his arms out wide. Hailey ran into his arms, smiling just as wide. 

“I missed you. How was your meeting with Maestro Barnett?” She asked stepping back and grabbing his carry-on so he could get the rest of his luggage.

“Oh, it was fantastic. He’s so enthusiastic and is looking forward to working with us in the future! And wait ‘til I tell you and the others about the rest of our trip! Oh you’re going to laugh, Hailey.” Rodrigo said. 

Hailey looked from Rodrigo to Thomas, her eyebrows raised. Rodrigo never failed to make her curious. 

Hailey, Rodrigo, and Thomas took a cab to the meet the other orchestra members for practice. Rodrigo watched the New York scenery fly by his window, which was slightly cracked so he could hear the sounds he’d grown to love so dearly. 

As Thomas swiftly plopped himself next to Gloria in the audience seats, and Hailey rushed to set herself up with the orchestra, Rodrigo took his time walking down the aisle to his place in front of them. He let his hand brush over the aisle seats, looking from them to his family on the stage. He couldn’t help smiling. He was home. 

“Hello my orchestra!” He greeted them all, raising his arms and smiling. They waved and smiled back, many echoing his hello and adding “we missed you”’s. 

“I have something to share with you that may sound a little strange. But there’s a good lesson, I think, for all of us here. As many of you may know, there’s a saying that goes “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, yes? Yes. Well, strange and unexpectedly wonderful things definitely do happen there, especially when celebrating!” Rodrigo scratched his head and chuckled nervously, turning back for a moment to see Thomas and Gloria, both looking unnerved. At least Thomas had a hint of a smile. 

“Yes,” Rodrigo continued, “so Maestro Pembridge and I were celebrating a very successful meeting with Maestro Barnett with quite a bit of alcohol, I must say. And somehow we...well I guess I’ll just tell you! We woke up the next day married to each other!” He said, as if it somehow should have been expected. 

The gasps among the orchestra were eclipsed by a wild scream from Gloria, and Rodrigo ducked and flinched as if expecting a flying shoe in need of dodging. But nothing came flying toward him but a string of shouts and profanities as Thomas attempted in vain to calm her.

Rodrigo knew that all he could do was let her shout and curse him for finding a brand new way to dangerously raise her blood pressure. After several minutes, she was able to tell him to finish his explanation if he was going to, her voice still shaking.

“Of course Gloria. All I want to say about this is that, while I of course am not going to stay married to Thomas ‘til death do us part, as the saying goes, but I am not horrified or even concerned about this detour in life. Sometimes you go where the strangest songs take you and you learn things about yourself you never thought was there. I encourage all of you to be open to the same! And we’re all one family in one way or another. We all love each other, yes? And what is as powerful as a wedding to show your love? All love should be celebrated! Not just romantic love. It is not any better than this, what is it? Platonic love. It’s all beautiful.” He said, nodding his head for several seconds as he looked at his orchestra, letting them know he was finished speaking.

Hailey and Cynthia found themselves moved by what Rodrigo said, although Cynthia couldn’t help laughing at the same time. 

“I should have expected this! Of course our Maestro would come back from Vegas hitched. And of course it would be Thomas.” She shook her head, still laughing.

Hailey laughed a little too hard, making Rodrigo turn to her and smile. 

“Don’t worry, Maestro, I’m not jealous.” Hailey said, still laughing. She thought the same thing Cynthia did, that she should have known Rodrigo would come home with some wild story. 

Dee Dee found himself somewhat sad, saying he’d wished he’d been able to officiate the wedding. 

“Next surprise drunken wedding better get me involved!” He yelled. Everyone assured him he’d be the first person they called.

Virgil and Christophe had nodded through all of Rodrigo’s speech. Christophe had even made a comment about Thomas officially being their little girl’s “god grandpa”, which Thomas took loud offense to as he protest that he “isn’t that old!”. Although Virgil and Christophe weren’t sure how they felt about the whole situation; after having spent part of their lives knowing they couldn’t legally marry someone they loved it was strange to see Rodrigo and Thomas get drunkenly hitched. But then, equality comes in all forms, and why shouldn’t men get the chance to take the kinds of wild detours that so many men and women take in life and love. 

And they couldn’t deny that Rodrigo always had a way with expressing himself, even though he still preferred to speak from his heart in his own language. In this situation he’d wanted to be sure he was understood, especially with Gloria behind him ready to kill.

The most surprising reaction was Union Bob. He had stayed quiet, with a sly smirk on his face while the rest of the orchestra reacted with shock, amusement, and confusion. Then, once everyone had calmed down he chimed in.

“You don’t remember, do you?” He asked, still smirking, his arms folded across his chest.

“The wedding?” Rodrigo replied, “Not really, no. Just bits and pieces here and there.” He motioned from left to right as if the here and there he spoke of were literal places beside him.

“So that’s a no, then? You don’t remember me sitting in that grungy little chapel in Vegas? Your second witness?” He said, a laugh bubbling up from deep in his core. 

For the second time that morning, there were audible gasps and “oh my god”’s from the orchestra. This time, Rodrigo included.

“Union Bob? You were with us? But how? Why?” He asked, trying to piece together why he’d been there and when he left.

“I was there on my own to meet Maestro Barnett and take some time off. It was honestly just a stroke of luck that I ran into you two! Plastered beyond belief. I thought about trying to talk you out of it for a few minutes, I swear. But then I thought, I get so much grief out of this job. Why not let myself have a little fun?” He paused a moment, thinking he heard Gloria growl from her seat. 

“I’m glad you were entertained, Union Bob.” Rodrigo said. He wasn’t angry, just still working through the surprise and trying to find any memory of Bob over the last few days.

“I have to thank you Maestro, I mean it really was something to see! You two reciting your vows, singing with the crowd outside after the wedding. I gotta say, you drunk singing is something to behold! Not so much singing though as enthusiastic shouting of every word you can remember. Best vacation I’ve had in years.”

Everyone chuckled at this, all except Gloria, who was still on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown. Now it was her turn.

“This is all fine and wonderful! I’m glad you’re all so happy and amused with this! But haven’t we had enough trouble over the last few years without blogs finding out about this and running with how irresponsible our former and current conductors are? I’ve nearly killed myself trying to keep this symphony alive and you two are just…” Unable to find any other words, she balled up her fists and let out another scream.

“Gloria, Gloria! Está bien. It’ll all work out, I promise you!” Rodrigo said, stepping down from the stage to try to calm her just as he’d done for Thomas on the plane. But she was not having it. She pulled away as soon as he reached her.

“No! You listen to me Rodrigo! You, Thomas, and I are going to get this taken care of immediately. We’re going to get the papers for an annulment and we’re going to move on so I can sleep tonight and you can continue conducting our orchestra. And don’t you think that you can go around marrying the rest of the orchestra members. You hear me, Rodrigo?” She said, in part serious, but more concerned with driving her point home. 

Rodrigo nodded and said “It won’t happen again!” with a smile. She sighed, exhausted and turned to leave the theater, Thomas following behind. Rodrigo waited a moment before joining them, just long enough to look back at Hailey and flash her a smile and a wink. 

He knew it would happen again. He knew it in his heart, just as his abuelita knew it. Just as Hailey knew it. The only difference was that the next time it happened. It would not be a drunken Las Vegas detour. It would be for a different kind of love.

**Author's Note:**

> My good friend Ruth (ruthc93 here and http://youplaywithblood.tumblr.com on tumblr) helped me work through this, both giving me ideas for the story and beta-ing it afterward.


End file.
